Holy crap, Laura. What's with the picture spam? Also, we went on a trip. And I made cheesecake.

Is this the camera lens, mommy? This right here?

Hello, my loyal blogstalkers! I know you all have been eagerly awaiting the next installment of As The Munchkin Turns. Well, wait no more! This edition includes a car trip to Georgia, a trip to the park, and mommy's first foray into making cheese cake.

And magnets. Because we always need more magnets, right? Right. Glad you agree.

Reddit has random gift exchanges every so often. The theme of this recent one was magnets. While I wanted to buy magnets and wrap them up all pretty and send them in a really cool box with a nifty poem, I had to face facts and realize that was just not going to happen any time soon. Especially when by "any time soon" I mean "ever before I die." So I had the magnet exchange store send my selections along: little wooden rabbits, frogs, and mustaches. They were cute, and the recipient loves the mustaches the most. Win!
My Secret Magnet Sender sent these --->
Bacon poetry magnets, an I <3 <3 the doctor, and this really great sticker. The world needs more stickers. Especially of monkeys.

Onto the good stuff: We went on a trip to Cleveland, GA. If you don't know what's there... well... join the club. I didn't know either until we got there. It's the headquarters of the Cabbage Patch Kids company.

They had some GORGEOUS flowers outside. These are them, although I don't know what they are called.

There were some bumblebees flitting around too, and it was a beautiful day. These flowers just looked so luxurious! I was tempted to take one and bring it back with me, they were so healthy-looking.

Um... I'm not sure anyone has told you, but did you know
you have broccoli sprouting from your head?

These... things were all over the lawn as we walked up to the main building. There were several varieties, with and without broccoli-hair. I thought it was odd that they weren't painted in any real way. We later saw parents sitting their kids in them for pictures and decided it was so that the kids wouldn't burn when they sat down for the pictures, but it was still really odd. On the way in to the place, on the veranda, we found these cute little baby birds. Momma came by and fed them, and they piped up and let their needs be known.



As you pass down the veranda, you come upon these doors. Beyond them (and unpictured) is a stereotypical nurse's desk with a woman dressed as a nurse behind it. You have to sign in, and if you bring in any dolls with you, they all need visitor stickers. The people who work there are all dressed in scrubs and they do not break character, treating this like a real hospital.

Yes, Warhol!

Just Chillin'

On the walls, they have a few of these Warhol paintings. It's pretty impressive, actually. I had no idea that Warhol had done these kinds of paintings, but after a moment's reflection, they made sense. They were huge parts of popular culture in the 80s.


A little further in, you find this awesome cabbage leaf chair. It is nice and roomy, big enough for the whole family to sit in!
In a fit of terribly appropriate parenting, we dressed Lois in a onsie that proudly proclaims her to be a "Little Monster." This prompted almost everyone to assume she is a boy. The line to get to sit in the chair was impressively







They also had a bunch of cute stuffed animals all over the place. I took a picture of this one specifically for my friend Tina. They had all kinda though, and a lot of them made by Ty! Not just beanie babies anymore.










Ok, so this blog post has languished in my drafts folder for a week or so. Maybe more. I am not going to have time to properly finish it, but these pictures demand the light of day! So, here they are in all their uncommented glory. And I have at least 2 more posts I want to write!

We saw a movie!

There was a disturbance in the force recently. I was feeling kind of bruised, so Jeremiah declared last night to be Movie Date Night!

We went to see Pacific Rim. This. This is a fabulous movie. It has guns! Big ones! It has robots! Big ones! It has monsters! Big ones! It has plot holes! Big ones! 

But in the end, it is the perfect summer action movie, an excellent escape into another world.

When we were getting ready to leave the theater, Jeremiah and I were talking about the movie.

Him: That was a great movie. I really liked it.

Me: Yea, me too. I think we need to acquire this movie when it is released.

Him: I only have one problem with it.

Me: Only one?!

Him: Yes, only one.

Me: You are NOT an engineer!

In other news, Lois is still the Cutest Baby Evar.

She's been in a growth spurt recently, waking up in the middle of the night hungry, being extra fussy and needy during the day. And eating. OMG the eating. Where before she was eating about 6 ounces of food mixed with baby cereal, she plowed through 8, plus half a bottle. I am taking bets on which leg she was stuffing the food down as she ate it.

I don't always kiss my duck, but when I
do, I make mommy uncomfortable.

Mine!!

I'm FABULOUS!

Mommy, you're so silly.

I love this toy. Thank you Aunt Cynthia!

Oh ducky ducky ducky.

I am not amused.

There was something else I was going to share with you, my loyal blogstalkers, but I don't remember what it was. Next time! For now, enjoy the picspam.

Ta-ta!

You Lie!

We have just returned from visiting some of our very best friends in Ohio. I mentioned having this blog to my friend, who cried out: "You Lie!" Apparently he knows of and reads this blog and feels I do not post nearly often enough. He is right, of course.

SO

Lois has some new tricks. First off, we have her new sleeping position:

Awww, aren't I adorable?

She used to just sleep flat on her back, as recommended by damn near everyone to prevent SIDS. Then the little stinker learned to roll over. She slept on her side then, or her back, but not on her belly. Then one day we walked in and she was all curled up with her butt in the air. It. Was. Adorable.

BUT WAIT! What is that on the side of the crib?

Apparently she wanted a light snack
consisting of varnish and stain.

Yes. The little stinkpot decided to gnaw ON HER CRIB rather than nap one day.

MMM Fiber.










As you can see, she has blessed two rails with the marks of her love.

Now, I suppose you can take this a few ways:

"Hey babe! I think we need to feed the baby more!"
or
"It's nothing to worry about. A little teeth sharpening is good for her."
or
"Congratulations, honey! It's a woodchuck!"


Me, I'm just going to watch her carefully for signs of tail growth. I mean, hamsters are sweet and all, but I don't want my adorable baby turning in to one.

IN OTHER NEWS:

We had a friend come to visit. For kicks and giggles, we went up to Mountain Lake (of Dirty Dancing fame) to check out the lake. I am pleased to report it seems to be filling up again:

Mountain lake is a pretty nifty place. The meadow is dammed by an ancient rockfall that blocked up the natural outlet. And voila! A lake was born.

However, since rockfalls aren't exactly watertight, if there isn't as much water flowing in as is leaking out, the lake will drain. Recently it completely dried up, leading to the discovery of some human remains of a long-lost guy named Samuel Ira Felder from 1921.

Read all about it here!

 Mountain Lake Resort is beautiful, and eventually I want to spend some time staying there and exploring all the awesome that is nearby. When the lake refills, it'll be great swimming and canoeing, but for now it is mostly a hiking area.

They have orienteering there, and that is something on my list of Things To Learn How To Do.

 This is Lois in her new strolled. Sorry about the orientation of the picture, but I want to get this written and posted and not spend any more time on it. I have to do some work! Eventually...

And I'll leave you with this. Conversations in our house:

"What'd you do with the bottle of Vitamin C, woman?!"
"I put it right in front of you."
"Oh."
Then he drank all my milk to wash them down.

Also:

As Jeremiah climbed into bed the other night he told me that my toothbrush was mad at him. I looked at him suspiciously for a moment, and then resignedly asked why.

"It bristled at me."

And, just now:

"A winky-face makes the mention of genocide that much softer."

Thanks folks! We'll be here all week! Tip your waitress!

Things I was not aware of:

Did you know that making tea is such a difficult process that it requires its own special maker that costs $159 on a sale site!

http://home.woot.com/offers/breville-one-touch-tea-maker

Now, I know I'm not the most skilled person on the face of the earth, but even I can make tea with a pot, or a kettle full of boiling water and a tea bag or bunch of tea leaves. Is it really necessary to have a specialty appliance just for making hot tea? Especially one that costs nearly $160?

Ze mind. It boggles.

In other news, as in news I'd like to own, these exist:

They are apparently made by Montblanc, and are totally awesome.

That is all. Have a Happy Thursday!

*tap* *tap* Is this thing on?

I last posted WHEN?! Well uh, HI!

Been a little busy around here... I finished my semester, and am so very glad I audited that class instead of taking it for a grade. Whew! Done!

So first there was this:

Awww, look at the cute baby! 

My mom got married! A while back, she met this axe murderer guy on craigslist who turned out to be completely insane a relatively normal guy with a death wish an awesome 125 gallon salt tank hobby.

It was a beautiful day, and the trees outside the place they were married were dripping petals down like rain. It was beautiful. Especially the baby. Everyone oogle the baby! Isn't that why we were all there? Here, I'll make it easier:

Look at me in my awesome dress!

Then there was Florida. I went off to Florida for a week long class in modeling and simulation of materials systems. That was fun. While there I got to meet some really good net friends in the flesh. They are just as awesome as I thought they'd be.

The three troublemakers plerkereers!

We went for mexican. Mmm it was good. We totally terrorized treated very well the poor server who had to all but knock us out to get a word in edgewise ask repeatedly if we needed anything else. We may have been a little enthusiastic in our gleeful sharing and talking.

Then I took pictures of the cool flora I found. This is spanish moss. Then there was this pretty flower, but I don't know what it is.























And this alligator TOTALLY tried to bite me, I barely escaped!

Go Gators! Except when you're playing the Hokies. Then Go Hokies!

Then we went to visit my Awesome Aunt Cynthia in South Carolina. She inflicted blessed us with a toy that makes NOISE and has BUTTONS to PUSH. Thank you Aunt Cynthia! She also gave Her Royal Cuteness a hat. Okay, okay, it might have been a little white mixing bowl, but it doubles as a hat!

Hi! Nice to see you there. Did I mention my hat?

Whee! It's a HAT, mommy!

Sadly, when we got home, we all fell victims to the plague. Someone in Florida inflicted it upon me, and then like the good family member I am, I promptly shared it with those I love most. Little cuteness here got it the worst and has been completely miserable.

WAH! I am miserable, and snotty, and miserable, and I can't sleep and I HATE THIS, MOMMY!!!

Gladly, we are all on the mend now though. I wasn't sure I'd make it through her illness. It really sucks to know she is so miserable and I can't make it better.

And now it's JUNE! How the heck did that happen?!?!